January Recap

I realized I did not take a picture of my freezer when I started Operation Empty Freezer. There are a few less things in it since I began. I ate a couple and gave away more. You see all that ice build up that needs to go. Yeah, that is the master plan. This weekend I wanted bacon so I asked the young one to look and see if we had any before I added it to the grocery list. Diva pulled out a package that was buried at the bottom that expired 5 years ago… 😲 I’m not sure how this will all work as this is a lot of food for one person to eat. Since we are in a pandemic, it’s not like I can have dinner parties. But I will keep going.

I managed to work out every day except 2 in January. Not bad for a former couch potato. And since I remembered to take my measurements and step on the scale I can say I am down 3 inches and 3 pounds overall. Not amazing progress but moving in the right direction. Fasting last week was not successful. I was doing well until around 7pm when I just got a chill that I could not shake so I had one of those packages of Lipton chicken noodle soup. It helped. I will try again tomorrow.

I read 5 books in January. The Wedding Date was the easiest read I have read in a long time. Took me about 3 hours from start to finish. It then prompted me to read the next 2 books in the series before I needed something a bit more meatier. Alone, I started on Saturday and finished on Sunday I could not put it down. I am currently curling up with Lenny Kravitz’s Let Love Rule.

There were 12 no-spend days in January. Apparently when I don’t leave the house it lessens the likeliness that I will spend money. At this rate when the world reopens in 2024 I’ll be rich!! LOL I hope I am still not trying to finish the contents of my freezer. 😂 Last year was surprisingly a record year at the FT job so we are getting a year end bonus. This will be given out by the end of this month so I will just slide it into my retirement fund.

This month will be more of the same as if it ain’t broke…

Hope all is well in your world.

Stay safe.

Use it up

2021 is going to be the year I finally defrost my freezer. The ice is building up in the chest freezer and it is way overdue. I think I bought this freezer 8-10 years ago and I have never defrosted it. I usually fill it back up before it gets too empty. Thereby delaying the defrost.

This year is my year to “use it up”. I don’t know about you but I have a tendency to repurchase the food I really like and left the other items until … sadly it’s past its best before date and into the garbage it goes. I am making a conscious decision to not go to the store until the freezer has been defrosted. Which means I have to eat everything that is in it.

Meal 1 – Chicken feta spinach sausage with green peppers and onions and chickpea pasta sprinkled with old cheddar cheese and parmesan, loosely based on this recipe. It was going to be with frozen broccoli but I found 2 peppers that had seen better days.

Less food waste. I did find some moldy cheese in the fridge that was thrown into the compost. There is still more cheese in the fridge so cheesy recipes are coming to my belly.

I was going to buy eggs but then I realized I have a box of mini quiches in the freezer that should be eaten or given away. So that will be breakfast this week. I am working from home all this week so plenty of time to make meals. Set it in the toaster oven and go for the win.

I fasted again this past Tuesday and find it harder to do from home as I snack more at home than at work. Speaking of working from home, I also don’t seem to leave the house when working from home. So one of my friends has decided that we will have a walking lunch date via the phone a couple of times this week so that I may get some fresh air.

I am looking forward to working from home this week. Elastic waisted pants for the win!! That plus the PVR could use some attention. Hopefully there will be less meetings this week and I can knock out a few hours. Other than watching TV, I plan to work out in the morning. I also want to start stretching daily. My back, particularly my shoulders, has been feeling tight.

That’s all I have this week. Hope all is well in your world.

Freezer inventory

Small freezer.

Chest freezer. This will need to be defrosted at some point.

I have 2 freezers chocked full of … I have no idea what.

My goal over this winter is to eat out of the freezer. Ignore any sales on meat. Resist the desire to eat anything other than what I have on hand. Give away anything I know we will not eat. Like the English muffins that are in the top photo (lower right corner).

Meal planning would definitely help with this. My problem with meal planning is that not everyone eats in my house. So I am trying to find the balance between having too much and not enough. Now that my girls are working they are more inclined to eat out than at home, unless it is the few days before pay day ….

At some point I would like to take inventory of the freezers to see what I am working it but I am procrastinating like there is no tomorrow. From my memory I know I have 2 whole chickens, various types of sausages, ground beef, chicken thighs (with and without bone), shrimp and sole fillets. There is also fish sticks, chicken strips and chicken wings.

I did take out some ground beef and chicken thighs for dinner this week. I also know think those meatballs will be used up this week.

I am making split pea soup today. Princess and I will happily eat this, Diva not so much. Maybe I’ll make spaghetti and meatballs as well since that is quick and easy. Plus I have zucchini so I can make zoodles for myself. 🙂

 

No Spend – July edition

Along with the exercise wagon, I have also fallen off spend money wisely wagon. 😦

So I have decided to join Sharon on her July No Spend Challenge.

My freezer is full of food and needs to be defrosted. This will be a great way to get it empty. I should only need to buy perishables.

I WILL IGNORE THE SALES. They get me every time. And because I have a chest freezer I just throw things in my cart willy nilly. Then items get lost at the bottom of my freezer. 😦

Every so often, I wonder if we really need the chest freezer. Something I have to really spend the time figuring out. It is handy when there are sales but not so much when food gets freezer burn.

I will also be doing another cleanse as my body feels sluggish. Need to get rid of the sugar cravings that have been plaguing me.

On a side note, today is day 1 of no jube jubes. AND I worked out today. WHOO HOO!! I will try to only have half a bagel tomorrow but I make no promises.

I am off on Wednesday as Diva is getting her wisdom teeth removed. I will take inventory of my fridge, freezer & cupboards at that time and make a proper plan for July.

Food Waste

Diva and I went through both freezers on Saturday.  It didn’t take as long as I thought it would and it netted some food waste, which I expected.

In the picture above is:

Garlic bread
Hamburger buns
Chinese dumplings x 7
Italian sausages
Carcasses of maybe chicken x 2
Various homemade soups(?) that no one could recognize

All in all it was not as bad as I thought it would be.  I was surprised that we do not have any frozen pizzas as I buy them often. The Chinese dumplings are older than old as I don’t think I have bought any in the past 3 years easily. There is a lot of frozen fruit in my freezer which I will be turning into smoothies or popsicles.

We now have a list of everything in both freezers which I am slowly going to use out. Meal planning should be so much easier now. 🙂